APABE – HAD raises concerns

In April 2009, HAD was invited to respond to a consultation run by English Heritage, the Church of England and the Ministry of Justice on the formation of a new Advisory Panel on the Archaeology of Burials in England (APABE). The new proposed body would replace APACBE (Advisory Panel on the Archaeology of Christian Burials in England) and so extend its remit to cover pre- and non-Christian burials.

HAD understands that the new APABE is having/had its first meeting in February 2010. However, no information was sent to HAD, as one of the original invited consultees, about this decision, and so we have no indication of the remit of this new body or its membership. However, since HAD has not been invited, we can assume from this that its call for wider membership to include religious bodies, including HAD, has been ignored. There is no information available in the public realm.